Category: cheesecake

Welcome I hope you enjoyed your Valentine’s Day yesterday. As today is the day after the holiday, I thought it might be a great day to share these fifteen loving thoughts from my husband on February 15.

Today’s Scripture This was our Verse of the Day during our 14 Days of Scripture for Your Marriage series I shared on Facebook during the first two weeks of February. It was also used during my personal Bible study and reflection time.

Food For Thought Over the past month or so, I’ve been doing a personal Bible study and journaling activity focusing on our marriage. This has been so good for me, as I need to be reminded of God’s expectations for me as a wife. It is also nice to spend time reflecting on my husband’s best traits. One of those great traits is how he has helped me learn a lot about self-acceptance.

No one would want me to share all my marriage reflections, nor should I, but one of my daily reflections was just so heart-warming. The prompt for the day was to write a list of lessons I have learned from my spouse, his bits of wisdom and such, that have inspired me and helped me to grow as a person. When I was finished, I had a full page of fifteen different loving thoughts and lessons that he has brought to my life, all beneficial in some way. I would like to share them with you today and also encourage you to think of loving thoughts and lessons you’ve been given from your mate. It is a great way to see how we are helpers for one another, as in our scripture for today.

1 He believes I am beautiful. God believes I am beautiful. It should not matter if anyone else in the world thinks or believes I am beautiful. Truth!

2 I don’t have to be perfect. He doesn’t expect me to be perfect. He loves me flaws and all.

3 I don’t have to do it all by myself. But I might have to speak up when I need help. He’s not a mind-reader.

4 I CAN accept unconditional love. He doesn’t expect anything in return. (Of course, I want to return the love!)

5 I have to learn to take the bad with the good. I will appreciate my best moments more because I’ve made it through the tough ones.

6 “Always” and “Never” are very dangerous words, be careful how we use them.

7 Priorities change because we change and there’s nothing wrong with that.

8 Life doesn’t have to be perfect to be great. I’ll be happier when I accept this and apply it to my life.

9 Forgive, forgive, forgive…

10 Taking a break or resting is not a sin. (I am so thankful to have a spouse that encourages me to take time to relax and refresh!)

11 Let that $*!# go! Yes, sometimes his word choice might be a bit crude, but he gets the point across. He’s been helping me learn valuable lessons about letting go of past mistakes, hurtful words, and the obsession I seem to have with what others think and say about me. Yeah, let it go!

12 Not understanding does not mean the same thing as not caring. Sometimes he just doesn’t understand my struggles or what I’m going through, but he still cares about me and the difficulty I’m facing.

13 People who love you will do things for you for no apparent reason…let them. A weird quirk I’ve had in my life is second-guessing people’s motives when they do kind things for me. Fortunately, my husband has helped me learn this lesson and trusting that it’s okay to accept good will from others.

14 I am doing great things every day, even if they are small, and the word small is relative. When I begin to doubt my worth, he is there to offer words like these, letting me know the daily things I do for my family, and even others, no matter how small they seem to me, can have a big and lasting impact.

15 Baby steps forward is still progress. These were his most recent thoughts of love he shared with me, as I became frustrated with the slow progress of my writing “career.”

All of these great things he says to me, day to day and week to week, may have me looking like a hot, needy mess. Honestly, I kind of am! I also know, though, that God brought us together for a reason. God knew I was a hot, needy mess and he knew it would take a special man to live with my moods and doubts and emotions. God helped me win the lottery, when it comes to soul mates! It is good for me to reflect on these things, more often the better, so I can truly appreciate all the many ways my husband helps me on this adventure called life. And I pray I can return the favor!

Today’s Recipe

My husband loves cherries and cherry desserts, especially cherry cheesecake. What better dessert to make for him this Valentine’s Day than this Ricotta Cheesecake with Cherry Topping!

Ricotta Cheesecake with Cherry Topping

Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray

9 whole graham cracker sheets

1 TBS butter

2 15-oz containers ricotta cheese

1 8-oz pkg cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup sour cream

4 eggs

3 TBS AP flour

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

1 21-oz can cherry pie filling

Directions

Place graham crackers in large zip-top bag and crush with mallet or rolling pin. Melt butter in microwave-safe cup. Toss with graham cracker crumbs. Press into prepared pan. Spray top of crumbs lightly with cooking spray and press down gently. Place spring-form pan on baking sheet and put in oven. Bake for ten minutes and remove from oven.